Principal Message
Be Kind, Be safe, Be respectful, Be responsible, Be resilient, Be ready
CHRISTMAS MASS TIMES 2023
Christmas Eve 24th December
6pm-Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, San Remo
8pm-St Mary's, Cowes
Christmas Day 25th December
9am- St. Mary's, Cowes
11am-St. Joseph's, Bass
Dear Parents and Carers,
Welcome to the final newsletter for 2023. I would just like to acknowledge the many words of appreciation and thanks we have had from our parent community. We value the partnerships we have with you and know it is because we work so closely that our students experience such success. Thank you for trusting us with the education and development of your children, for your continuous support, and for all you have done to make 2023 such a success.
A big thank you to our wonderful staff who all work so hard to make sure every child achieves their goals and is safe and happy. We are so lucky to have such a committed and hardworking staff who work each day to bring out the very best in our students.
Christmas is, for many of us, a wonderful time perhaps even the most wonderful time of the year especially if you are a child. But did you know that there really is such a thing as “Christmas cheer”? In December 2015 in a study run by the University of Denmark, twenty people were shown images with either a Christmas or non-Christmas theme while having their brain monitored by an MRI machine.
When the participants saw photographs of Christmas-themed images, or heard Christmas music, a network of brain regions lit up ... well, like a Christmas tree. *The researchers concluded that they had found the hub of Christmas cheer inside the human brain. It comes with that feeling of joy, warmth and nostalgia people feel when the jingle bells start jingling. One theory was that that network in the brain could be related to memories or that person’s spirituality. So December really is the season to be jolly. Christmas cheer makes us want to be joyful and to share the joy with others. Even for those who are not believers, this Season delivers!
Is there such a thing as a ‘bah humbug’ syndrome? Possibly. Some people dread Christmas, they just want to get through it or hope it will all just go away. Some think people spend too much, it is all too commercial, some hate family reunions or the rush and the extra pressure. So they get grumpy and, unfortunately, they want to share that with others too!
Christmas can evoke many emotions. Sometimes the lead up to it can be better than the celebration itself. Family reunions, gift giving, meals, the excitement of children can bring great happiness, laughter and joy.
On the other hand we acknowledge, sometimes it can be a time of loneliness and even friction. Being alone at this time must add further sadness to this feeling of isolation. Sometimes old disputes and hurts can resurface and take on a new life.
Christmas time – is a time of joy, of community, of sharing and being with one another. We reach out to those who are near to us, to those who may be absent and we remember our loved ones who have died.
So, according to science, let your Christmas spirit loose and share it with the people you love. Put up the tree, get out the crib and be open to God who wants to be with us too. As we journey into the New Year and beyond, after we put away the decorations, may we have the courage to keep questioning and wondering while living in joyful hope!
* Taken from The neuroscience of the Christmas cheer ‘emotion’ Published: December 24, 2019 in The Conversation.
Happy Christmas everyone, thanks again for a wonderful year and we look forward to seeing you all in the new year.
Keep smiling
Cathy
